Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 2. Bridgerton is a show about relationships. Whether they be romantic, familial, or platonic, nearly every victory or betrayal in the show is a result of the way these complex relationships intermingle with each other. While romantic relationships usually take precedent, as Bridgerton is unabashedly a romance, the show’s second season has taken significant strides in showing other forms of relationships to be just as powerful. In particular, the sense of female comradery among the different characters has increased tremendously in the new season. These complex female friendships are some of the most interesting to watch play out in the show and a driving force for many characters’ in this season. But what exactly has shifted to make these female relationships so much stronger?

The benefit of having the first season out of the way is that all the pieces are already set. A first season carries the burden of having to establish a world, status quo, sense of reality, etc. while also managing to tell a story at the same time. But the world of Bridgerton’s second season is one we’re already accustomed to, thus the show can take these predetermined pieces and start to move them in new and unexpected ways. The relationships between the female characters that were initially heartfelt but quite simple in Season 1 are complicated by the new plots, characters, and motivations entering the arena this time around.

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We can see the impact of these shifting dynamics most noticeably in the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). The girls are shown to be best friends in Season 1, both poised as relative outsiders within the sphere of balls and diamonds that dominates their upper-class lives, but with the reveal of Penelope’s identity as Lady Whistledown, there were obviously bound to be new troubles for the two. Season 2 sees their relationship complicated in a variety of ways. Eloise is still on the hunt for Whistledown (who we, the audience, now know to be Penelope) as well as dealing with her first season out into society. Her newfound independence leads her into a friendship with a worker at the print shop that Penelope uses for Whistledown which further complicates their friendship.

Eloise and Penelope see the most dramatic shift in perhaps any relationship this season save our romantic leads. They start off incredibly close, bonding in a field of flowers during a moment's peace from a ball, but end further apart than ever with Eloise finding out the truth of Lady Whistledown and Penelope’s betrayal. Eloise, after hearing Penelope was responsible for all the slander against herself and her family, declares she never wants to see Penelope again. It’s as devastating a blow as any of the romantic breakups we see in Bridgerton and it hits so hard precisely because we’ve seen two seasons of build-up and trust between these two young women. The female friendships offer us wonderful insight into each woman as an individual, but it also builds into an essential part of each of their support structures. Support structures that, as we see with Penelope and Eloise, can be extremely tenuous. We’ve seen how close the two girls are and the lengths they’ve individually gone to help each other. Whether that be Eloise defending Penelope time and again or Penelope attempting to shield Eloise from the queen’s ire. With so much time spent seeing the depths of their affection for each other, it makes that inevitable falling out all the more painful.

Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gimmell) and Lady Danbury (Anjoa Andoh), similarly to Eloise and Penelope, were shown to have a close friendship in Season 1. Season 2 complicates it through how that friendship is strained by their other relations. When the truth of Edwina’s inheritance and dowry is made known by the Sheffields, Lady Bridgerton feels betrayed by Lady Danbury clearly having been aware of the situation from the start. They lightheartedly scheme to get the couples together throughout the season, but this breach of trust is treated with severity. Lady Bridgerton is curt with Lady Danbury until the wedding falls apart, and Lady Danbury is left for the first time with no idea what to do. Expressing that vulnerability to Lady Bridgerton (as well as her prior apology) helps to mend that rift between them. Their relationship is not something so simple that a breach of trust can be overlooked, but it’s also too deeply valuable to both of them to be discarded. That’s why the moment of levity wherein both women laugh over the ridiculousness of the situation is so lovely. It’s clear this does not automatically solve everything between the two but it's a moment of humor that shows their bond. They are not always allies, and they may sometimes misstep and hurt each other, but we see their friendship and respect for each other are strong enough to handle it. While not as dramatic as the relationships between Eloise and Penelope or Kate and Edwina, we still see a weight and gravity to their friendship in Season 2 that was lacking in Season 1.

The most engaging female relationship of the season is of course between sisters Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran). From the very start, it’s clear how deeply the two sisters love and care for each other which makes it even more nerve-racking to watch the season unfold, waiting for the other shoe to drop and tear everything they have apart. Their relationship is filled with trust that will inevitably be broken. Edwina has dedicated all of herself to learning the skills Kate has taught her, so she may earn her place in society and, hopefully, find love. Kate has put aside her own dreams in order to try and secure her sister the future she believes would be best for her. They are both sacrificing something of themselves in order to make the other happy. But this is not something they do begrudgingly, we see how deeply they care for each other in the ways they stand up for each other. Whether that be Edwina praising her sister’s skills in front of Lady Danbury or Kate lambasting Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) for his womanizing behavior.

Like Eloise and Penelope, the relationship between the two sisters gains stakes through their clear devotion to each other coming into contrast with a betrayal. Where many stories will take the issue of a man between two women and turn it into a petty catfight, in Bridgerton, Anthony is a secondary problem in their conflict. He’s a symptom and not the cause. Edwina and Kate’s true conflict comes from Kate being too protective of Edwina to the detriment of them both. By attempting to prioritize Edwina she was in truth just using Edwina to achieve her dream of safety for her family. The lack of malicious intent also makes their relationship that much more complex. Instead of an issue of love, it’s an issue of trust and emotional honesty.

By giving the conflicts between women so much gravity in this season, relationships like Kate and Edwina’s are able to blossom out of the simple patterns of Season 1 dynamics and bloom into something realistic. The conflicts are not outside forces, these are problems brought upon these women by their own actions whether it be Kate keeping her feelings to herself or Edwina never allowing herself to be imperfect. The relationships feel delicate because they are so precious. Their falling outs have weight because we’ve seen the heights of happiness they can reach when they are in harmony. By spending a season building up the sisterhood between Kate and Edwina, we have no choice but to be devastated along with them when the calamity hits. The scenes of bonding are all dominoes stacked next to each other all set to topple when we reach the climax. Edwina and Kate are the center of this season almost as much as Kate and Anthony are, thus why their conflict is essential to resolve before the couple can reach their happy conclusion.

The inclusion and elaboration on these intricate female relationships not only help to create more fleshed-out characters but also a more fleshed-out world. These friendships are more than just accessories to the narrative in this season, they often drive it. The main tension of the season, the will they/ won’t they of Anthony and Kate’s romance is only so powerful because of the impact it has on Kate and Edwina’s relationship. These female-centered relationships offer a crucial backbone to offer stakes and impact the many secrets and betrayals that rock the status quo of the show.

The female friendships of Bridgerton are so engaging in Season 2 because they’re allowed the same time and depth as any of the romantic relationships. We see comradery not just in longstanding friendships between women but also in small alliances. Penelope and Madame Delacroix enter a mutually beneficial business arrangement that also helps to demonstrate how capable both women are. Lady Danbury reaches out to Kate when she sees how she’s closed her heart to the world, offering her support from a place of understanding that she’s never really had before. Female friendships are rarely offered the same dramatic weight as romantic relationships, but Bridgerton allows them to both occupy the same spaces, to allow female friendships to be just as heartwarming or heartbreaking as any romance. Bridgerton Season 2 understands that relationships between women are just as important and dynamic as that between a man and a woman and by allowing these female relationships room to flourish it helps not only create dramatic tension but also just makes the characters feel more like real people.